Switch job stop-signals pos



A. L. KOENIG.

SWITCH FOR STOP SIGNMS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I. ISIS.

1,383,821 Patented July 5,1921.

M V 73655 fl/j ke/ Gen/7 ALFRED Ii. KOENIG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWITCH FOR STOP-SIGNALS FOB AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,725.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. KonNre, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Switches for'Stop- Signals for Automobiles; and I dohereby declare the followinv to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for enabling the driver of an automobileor other vehicle to signal, to parties in the rear of his vehicle whenhe is about to stop, or at least is about to reduce the speed of theautomobile. Herc tofore, larger numbers of accidents have been due torear end collisions between automobiles owing to the fact that theaverage driver finds it diflicult to observe the slacking of the vehiclein front of him in sufficient time to roperly slacken or stop theautomobile which he is driving.

Toovercome this source of danger and of damage to both life andproperty, various attempts have been made with a view to equippinautomobiles upon their rear with signs in icating the intention ofstopping the automobile. Attention has usually been called to such signsby suddenly illuminating them, or otherwise altering their appearancethrough electrical mechanism operated by the driver of the automobile.However, this has commonly involved the providing of a suitable switcheither on the steering wheel or on thedashboard of the automobile, whichhad to be manipulated for the purpose of actuating the signal. Inpractice, the necessity for a reduction in speed of a vehicle, or for anentire stopping of the same, often arises so suddenly that the driverdoes not have time to manipulate an added switch, or to consider anyadded moves beyond those of steering the vehicle and of altering itsspeed. Consequently, such rear end signals have not shown their expectedresults in the actual preventing of collisions.

To obviate this shortcoming, my invention aims to provide a simpleswitching mechanism which will not require any additional movements orattention of any kind on the part of the driver of the automobile, but

which will be automatically responsive to the operation most commonlyrequired for any unexpected slacking in speed of the auto, or for astopping of the latter, namely the setting of the brake. Moreparticularly, my invention aims to provide a switching mechanism forthis purpose which will be actuated by some moving part of the mechanismfor actuating the brake, and desirably to provide this so that it canreadily be connected to the rod which forms a partvof the operativeconnection between the foot lever and the brake. Furthermore, myinvention aims to provide simple means for automatically returning theswitch to its off position when the brakaactuating foot pressure isreleased; to provide simple means for adjusting the mechanism inoperative position, and to provide simple means for preventing anoverstraining of the switch parts in case the movement of the part ofthe brake mechanism to which the switch is connected exceeds thatrequired for actuating the switch. Still further and more detailedobjects will appear from the following specification and from theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinalsection through an automobile showing a signalswitching mechanismembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the rear of the same auto, showing thestop signal as displayed on the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the switching mechanism of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the drawings, Fig. 1 shows an automobile includinga brake rod 1 connecting the foot lever 2 with the means for tighteningthe brake band 3 on one of the rear wheels of the vehicle. Mounted onthe rod 1 is a clamp 4 which is operatively connected to aspring-retracted switch 5 as shown more in detail in Fig. 3. This switchcontrols the circuit leading from the lighting equipment of theautomobile to a lamp mounted in a casing 6 at the rear of the vehicle,which casing has a face painted with the word Stop arranged so that itwill be displayed when the lamp 1s lighted.

To control the li hting circuit for this purpose, 1 am here showing aswitch including as one terminal a contact 7 mounted on an insulatingbase 8 which also carries the pivotal mounting for a rocking lever 9.Fastened to one arm of this rocking lever is an insulating block 10carrying a resilient contact 11 which is adapted to engage theheretofore mentioned contact 7 when thc'lever 9 is sufficiently movedtoward'the left er the drawing in Fig. 3. Interposed between the clamp 1and the lever 9 is a suitable connection whereby the movement of the rod1to' Ward the left in Fig. 3 will rock the arm 9 on its pivotalmounting,so as .to ,swing the contact 11 against the contact 7, thereby clos ingthe circuit to the lamp which lights the rear signal. The rocking lever9 also has associated with it suitable means .for returning the same toits normal position, in which position it holds the switch open. Forexample, I may provide a relatively light spring l3 connecting thisrocking lever with a lug '14 secured to the floor-159i the vehicle. Toprevent ,an overstraining. of) the switch parts byan excessivemovementof the rod 1, such as might occur in case the clamp it were not securedat exactly the right point on the rod 1, or in case the changes due toexpansion and contraction materially affect the distances between theconnected parts, I also preferably employ yielding means for. connectingthe clamp a with the rocking lever 51. For example, I may employ aspiral spring 12 which spring will be distended in case the movementofrthe rod 1 toward theleft of Fig. 3 is continued beyond the pointwhere it brings-the contacts 11 and 7 into efiective engagement witheach other.

ith the mechanism thus arranged, it will be obvious from the drawingsthat when'thc foot lever is depressed for actuating the brake, the rod 1will be moved forwardly of the vehicle or toward the left in Fig. 3, andthat in doing so it will carry the clamp 4 forward with it.Consequently, the spring 12 (which is made much stronger than theretracting spring 13) will act as the connecting link for rocking thelever 9 ina clockwise direction until the contact 11 is pressed againstthe contacts 7 and the signal-lamp circuit is closed. Then furtherforward movement of the rodl will be taken up by an extension of thespring 12 without overstraining the switch parts, and the signal circuitwill he keptclosed as long as the brake is set. During the releasing ofthe brake, the rod 1 will be drawn backward, thereby releasing thetension on the spring connecting member 12 and permitting the spring 13to return the rocking lever to its originalposition of Fig. 3, andconsequently opening the signal lamp circuit.

Since the switching is entirely automatic and in direct response to themovement of the brake lever, the lighting of the rear stopleasing of thebrake, and also will require no thought or attention on the part.ofithe: operator. My simple mechanism will therefore provide positivemeans for giving the desired notice to vehicles in the ,rear oftheautomobile which is eq'uipped withginv invention, and for attendingto thislno' tjation automatically and only'fon the fperiodiduring whichsuch a signal is neede However, while I haveillustrated'aiid describedmy invention in 'anfembodiment in which the operative connectionisfmadeto one particular: part of the "braking mochanism, namely the atstendersubstantially horizontally under ftl'ieflfloiii lofytlie fvehi'cl'e,and-have illh'strated thesw1t ch itself in .a particular form,,I idonotlwish to be limited to these or other details ofjthe construction andarrangement here disclosed. Nor do I wish to. be limited to the use ofthe particular form of visible signalh'ere described, Obviously, thegeneral construction and arrangement might be modified in manv wayswithout departing fro m the spirit of the append ed claims. I, H I claimas my invention: 1. In a vehicle signal, a base 'adapte'd to besccured'to the vehicle adj acent to thebraking rod thereof, .a contactonpne end of the base, a bell crank lever pivoted to and depending fromthe opposite end of the base, a' conta ct insulated from and carried bythe bell crank and engageable with the base contact, a light springconnected to one end of the lever and to the car for normally holdingthefleverinupon actuation of the braking rod and for allowing movementof said rodafter the lever I has reached its limit of movement.

2. In a vehicle signal and operating device for actuation by the brakingdevice of the vehicle, means to render the signal operative including apivoted lever formed for attachment to and for depending from the carbottom, a spring connected to one'side of the lever adjacent the lowerend thereof and adapted to be connected to the brake rod whereby topermit of movement of the brake rod after the leverhas reached its limitof movement, and a spring connected to the op posite side of the leverand adaptedto be attachedto the car bottom for restoring the lever innormal position upon release of the brake rod.

extending toward the rod an eye, a spring conneetin and terminating inthe eye to the rod,

a lighter spring connected at one end to the eye and extending oppositely therefrom to a fixed point, an insulating block fixed on the otherarm of the bell crank lever, and spaced contacts one of which isresiliently carried by 1.0 the block.

Signed at Chicago, November 25th, 1919.

ALFRED L, KOENIG.

